1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dispensers for a fluid such as gasoline and in particular to such a dispenser which includes a rotatable arm assembly having a fluid dispensing hose extending outwardly therefrom and a simplified hose retracting means which retracts the fluid dispensing hose into a loop configuration within the dispenser.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fluid dispensers for dispensing fluid such as gasoline, fuel oil, and the like are well-known and over a period of years have experienced a substantial evolution in design. Early manually operated pumps provided with a visually perceptible metering tank have been replaced with motor driven units equipped with mechanical metering devices and more recently digital electronic circuitry has been applied to the metering of the fluids. The general configuration of the pump and wherein the fluid pump, mechanical or other metering means, hose retracting mechanism and the various elements associated with the display of quantity, price and the like, however, has not changed for many years and it is accepted practice to house these elements in a single stationary structure.
It is also common practice to provide a single fluid dispenser with two or more data displays with the dispenser being situated on an island such that it can be used to dispense fluid to vehicles parked on either side of the dispenser. This has, in turn, required a redundancy in the display portions of the dispenser. It is also common for vehicles parked adjacent a dispenser to be parked at varying positions with respect thereto whereby the data display must often be viewed from extreme angles.
Another feature that is typical of contemporary fluid dispensers is the provision of a retractable fluid dispensing hose. Exemplatory of such a retracting mechanism is the widely used cable mechanism which includes a cable secured to dispensing hose and wound upon a spring loaded spool. This particular mechanism is comparatively expensive as a manufactured item. With this mechanism, the dispensing hose is frequently mounted completely externally of the dispenser where it is subject to damage or the maximum extension of the dispensing hose is limited by the particular arrangement of the cable and hose. The cable can also come in contact with a vehicle and cause scratching or marring of the finish thereof.
Efforts to avoid such limitations, costs, and redundancy in a fluid dispenser have not heretofore been satisfactory. Fluid dispensers with a moving arm have required expensive rotary seals. Electrical connections between relatively movable portions thereof have required slip rings or the like. Both of these items further present hazards when used in a dispenser for volatile fluids such as gasoline. The need for a simpler retracting mechanism that will also more fully retract the dispensing hose has also been long recognized.